Archive for the 'Noel Gallagher' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

Surprisingly, I've found my fourth or fifth wind and I'm feeling my energy level creep back up again, pretty much at the same rate the sun is setting. Good thing, too, because I was getting close to tossing in the towel and taking a nap during Andrew Bird.

I've been perpetually lagging all day, always one step behind the cool different things I've wanted to capture this second Coachella weekend.

I decided to skip Kaiser Chiefs on the main in the name of witnessing all of an outstanding, Fela-infused set from Merrill Garbus and tUnE-yArDs and checking in on Buzzcocks ... but Buzzcocks, in their casual punks-in-summer finery, sounded great as usual while not quite attracting a hearty enough crowd to cheer along. (Really hard to do that when outside it feels like God is cranking up his desert BBQ for some holiday-weekend grilling.) Plus, by the time I came back to Kaiser Chiefs -- fittingly for a round of "Oh My God" -- I had apparently missed seeing frontman Ricky Wilson come down from the stage to not just enter the crowd, but fully make his way to the beer garden, grab a brew, then head back to the soundboard scaffolding ... which he proceeded to climb whilst getting mobbed.

The lineup for Night 2 of KROQ's 22nd annual Almost Acoustic Christmas weekend at Gibson Amphitheatre, Dec. 10-11, was announced this morning on the station's Kevin & Bean morning show -- and, as anticipated, the mood will be decidedly more indie and English.

Now Oasis fans can finally decide: Which Gallagher brother has put out the better album?

Back in March, vocalist Liam and the remnants of the Britpop mainstay soldiered on as Beady Eye, garnering surprisingly strong notices for their four-on-the-floor effort Different Gear Still Speeding. This week, however, brings the more-or-less solo debut from Oasis' arguably better half: guitarist, chief songwriter and occasional vocalist Noel Gallagher, who resurfaces with his band High Flying Birds (including former Zutons bassist Russell Pritchard and famed percussionist Lenny Castro) roughly 10 days before the group makes its West Coast premiere Nov. 17-18 at UCLA's Royce Hall.

Also in this week's mix: another live one from Rush (this one includes all of 1981's Moving Pictures), the 40th assortment in the Now That's What I Call Music! series, fresh fare from country star Joe Nichols, blues/soul legend Etta James and the always intriguing Meshell Ndegeocello, solo debuts from Clipse's Pusha T and Aventura's Romeo Santos, odds 'n' ends assortments from metal bands Disturbed and As I Lay Dying, plus refurbished editions of Billy Joel's Piano Man (1973) and Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here (1975).

September 13th, 2011, 5:10 pm by BEN WENER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

His April performances at the Pantages were among the best of the season, and his acclaimed new disc - So Beautiful or So What, his first in five years - is not only one of his finest in more than a decade, it's among the most acclaimed works of the year, seemingly a shoo-in for an album of the year nod at next year's Grammys.

As if you need reasons to see Paul Simon. But in case you missed him in spring, here come more chances.

Simon will return to Los Angeles to play Oct. 19 at Gibson Amphitheatre, six days after he turns 70. Tickets, $49.50-$129.50, go on sale Saturday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m.

After that, he heads directly to Berkeley for a night at that campus' Greek Theatre on Oct. 20, then it's back to Southern California for shows Oct. 22 at San Diego State's Viejas Arena, $39.50- $89.50, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.; and then Oct. 23 at Santa Barbara Bowl, $49-$119, on sale Saturday at 11 a.m. Also catch him Oct. 24 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Secret Sisters open all dates.

Speaking of the Pantages (well, I was at the start), comedian Kathy Griffin will headline the opulent old theater on Feb. 3, $45-$95, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Remember how just two years ago it seemed Chris Brown's career was headed down the toilet?

Guess every gossip-monger was wrong, eh? Lately the repentant 22-year-old has been as big as Usher.

His fourth album, F.A.M.E., has spawned three chart-topping singles: "Look at Me Now," "Deuces" and "No BS." His July appearance on Today attracted the biggest audience for the show's summer concert series so far, pulling in a record 18,000 fans. He recently won five BET awards. He's been writing songs for Justin Bieber and Brandy. And he has a role in the coming ensemble romantic comedy Think Like a Man.

Let this be yet another lesson in how celebrities get away with everything. Plead guilty to beating Rihanna, accept five years probation ... headline Staples Center.

Indeed, Brown's arena tour, which kicks off Sept. 12 in Toronto, looks to be one of the big-ticket events of fall. The trek arrives in Los Angeles to take over the Lakers' home on Oct. 20, with T-Pain and Tyga opening.

With Labor Day fast approaching, there isn't the usual slew of new shows about to go on sale -- although there are more to announce than most holiday weekends offer, starting with a big one: Tiësto at Home Depot Center.

The Dutch DJ, among the biggest names in dance music this past decade, has had a busy year already, having put out a new studio album (Kiss from the Past, issued in June under his alias Allure) as well as a fresh mix disc, Club Life: Volume One Las Vegas, which dropped in April. He's supporting the latter with a College Invasion Tour -- thus his stop at the soccer stadium near Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 8.

Porter Robinson will open. Tickets are on sale now, priced at $28 for students and $43 for everyone else. (Note: In addition to their tickets, students will be required to show proper ID at the gate.)

You say you're longtime Death From Above 1979 fan but don't want to brave Saturday's FYF Fest in downtown Los Angeles to see 'em? Good news: the Toronto dance-punk duo has added a last-minute show this Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Music Box in Hollywood. Tickets, $22.50, go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 31, at noon.

On the other hand, here's some bummer news related to the former Fonda Theatre: the Vaccines and Kaiser Chiefs, among the better bands out of Britain lately, have canceled their coming tours, including Music Box stops on Sept. 13 and 27, respectively. Refunds are available at point of purchase.

November 4th, 2010, 3:37 pm by GEORGE A. PAUL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Paul Weller is definitely a rare breed among musicians who started their careers in the '70s. Few of his contemporaries from British punk rock's first wave (apart from ex-Clash man Mick Jones) still have the restless energy and creative drive necessary to make an adventurous studio album like Wake Up the Nation, which arrived on Yep Roc Records in April.

Guest musicians include drummer Bev Bevan (once of ELO), guitarist Kevin Shields (prime mover behind My Bloody Valentine) and Weller's former bandmate in the Jam, bassist Bruce Foxton, marking the pair's first recording together in more than 25 years. Earlier this year, Nation was nominated for the U.K.'s esteemed Mercury Music Prize, though it lost out to the xx's self-titled debut. But Weller also snagged an Ivor Novello, England's top songwriting award, honoring his lifetime achievement.

An invigorating Wiltern Theatre gig Wednesday night, part of a quick mini-tour with just one Los Angeles date and two in New York City, found Weller, 52, still in peak vocal and musical form. The venue was nearly full, a testament to his continued cult following here; back home in the U.K., arenas are the norm.

A few years back, the Modfather (as Weller is affectionately called) jettisoned his longtime touring band, culled from Ocean Colour Scene, but retained masterful lead guitarist Steve Craddock. This group -- keyboardist Andy Crofts, bassist Andy Lewis and drummer Steve Pilgrim -- were tight throughout the night. Each of them pitched in on background vocals, which made a big difference amid more soulful numbers like “Have You Made Up Your Mind” and a sweeping, Phil Spector-esque “No Tears to Cry.”

Already we've had a great one from Vampire Weekend at the Fonda in Hollywood, a not-so-secret show from Spoon (wish I'd seen that, their new album Transference is among their very best work) and spent time in Costa Mesa with Black Lips (who will add King Khan to their shambling ranks to become the Almighty Defenders) and the San Francisco group Girls. And had I known they were gonna be part of the lineup, I might've tried harder to check out three personal favorites –- Mew, Band of Skulls and, especially, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Meanwhile, sets from Dirty Projectors, the Temper Trap, the Big Pink and (yay) She & Him will be here before you know it.

In an effort to check some names off my to-see list –- because that 11th Indio lineup is so heavily packed, disappointing but unavoidable conflicts are gonna happen all weekend long –- I'm taking full advantage of the preseason. So David Hall (who snapped these pics) and I took another rainy drive Tuesday night, this time out to the Glass House in Pomona, to check on one more afternoon-slot attraction: the Cribs, the brotherly English trio who late last year added Johnny Marr to their ranks.

David and our colleague Andrew Youssef (a bigger fan whose assessment can be found on Heard Mentality) emerged from the 75-minute set with instant thumbs-up approvals. I came away only mildly impressed, which I blame as much on the Jarman lads –- kit-climbing drummer Ross and his older singing/shouting twin siblings, Ryan on guitar and Gary on bass –- as I do on the evening's low turnout.